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FE 13
8:46:38 PM Rook: So! You guys were in the dining car of the train. Things are settling down after the altercation between The Cleaver and Svendali, with both of them being taken off. Also at the table is Solah, a Halfling that hadn't flirted with Ander but seemed to be about to when she proactively cut off any flirting, which, to be fair, he understood and stood down from. 8:47:28 PM Rook: Nilani had returned from the library car with a Drow fella named Hakan, drawn by the noise. Which, you know. The Cleaver made a lot of noise, despite apparently being the wounded party here. 8:49:23 PM *** Ander does what Ander does. Tries to get a round of drinks. *** 8:51:49 PM Ander: ((...are there alcoholic drinks available?)) 8:51:59 PM Rook: Oh, absolutely. 8:52:29 PM Rook: You're headed to Halfling country, and halflings are pretty much the most prolific brewers in the Empire. 8:53:17 PM *** Ander grabs the best ale she can. *** 8:53:36 PM Ander: "...so...Hakan...you and Vashti just met?" 8:54:39 PM Kite: ((brb!)) 8:55:20 PM Rook: Hakan: ... yeah? I mean, we were just in the Library car. 8:56:52 PM Kite: What brings you to the train? 8:57:17 PM *** Vydea is just sitting back, writing in her notebook *** 8:59:49 PM Rook: Hakan: Same as anyone, I suppose. Getting from one place to another. I have some business down in Rannon. 8:59:59 PM Rook: Hakan: ... I'm not looking forward to it. 9:00:08 PM Kite: Why not? 9:00:14 PM Ander: "...family or work?" 9:01:56 PM Rook: Hakan: Work, I suppose. 9:02:10 PM Ander: "...what do you do?" 9:04:18 PM Kite: ((Back, finally.)) 9:06:36 PM Rook: Hakan: Ah, I'm a troubleshooter, I guess? I travel around on behalf of my church and do what needs doing. There's some Rannian count or duke or earl or something that is threatening to close one of our temples down there, so I need to deal with it. 9:07:01 PM Kite: Which church? 9:08:44 PM Vashti: I used to live in Rannon, actually. It seems there's always some assorted title-bearer over there trying to make themself feel important by making trouble for someone else. 9:09:02 PM Rook: Hakan: Eilistraee. It's kind of a family thing, really. 9:09:21 PM Kite: Ah, I see. 9:11:49 PM Ander: "Solah, you said you were meeting with your family in Verendra, right? That should be nice." 9:13:33 PM Rook: Solah scoffs over his mug. 9:14:44 PM Ander: "...or maybe not." 9:14:57 PM Kite: Family can be somewhat difficult. 9:16:46 PM Ander: "...yeah...I get that." 9:18:07 PM Ander: "...this ale is really good." 9:18:34 PM Rook: Solah: Eh, it's okay. Just dealing with greedy relatives and an ill-defined will. 9:18:41 PM *** Vydea hides a laugh. *** 9:18:53 PM Rook: Hakan: So where are you headed to? Vashti says you're an adventuring party. 9:19:18 PM Ander: "We are. We're currently going by Paper Dragons." 9:19:31 PM Kite: We have had some trouble finding a name that was not already taken. 9:21:07 PM Ander: "We are investigating something called the Dusk Lilly in Verendra." 9:22:14 PM Vydea: (i'm gonna have a bad night on rolls tonight, so 7 insight to see if either look like they have a reaction to 'dusk lily') 9:23:10 PM Ander: ((I got a 19 on that. I've been watching them pretty closely.)) 9:23:29 PM *** Vydea is distracted by the love triangle she's writing into the book. *** 9:25:22 PM Rook: Solah blinks. "Smugglers, huh?" 9:26:06 PM Daneel: Yes, you have heard of them? 9:30:40 PM Rook: Solah: Oh, sure. I mostly work on the borders of Verendra. I'm a Hedge Knight. 9:31:01 PM Rook: Daneel, you know that Hedge Knights are an order of Halfling paladins. 9:31:47 PM Ander: "You're a knight?" 9:32:24 PM Rook: THey don't really worship any particular gods. They mostly wander around and defend towns and communities from bandits and monsters. 9:32:42 PM Rook: Solah: Well, yeah. Not in the.... Rannian terms. I don't have land or anything. 9:33:10 PM Kite: An admirable occupation, however. 9:33:32 PM Ander: "...not trying to offend you, but you really don't look like a knight to me." 9:34:47 PM Kite: ... what do knights normally look like? 9:35:11 PM Vydea: Big, blonde, heavy armor. 9:35:14 PM | Edited 9:35:45 PM Daneel: You stay on the borders mainly? Any reason you avoid further into verendra? 9:35:37 PM Ander: "Not having hair that looks like they're trying really hard to piss of their mom." 9:36:00 PM | Edited 9:36:45 PM Rook: Solah: Not really. Plenty of Knights roam the interior to stay close to home. I don't really have a home there, so. 9:36:13 PM *** Rook Solah looks at Ander and her shaved head. *** 9:36:51 PM Rook: Solah: ... yeah. 9:36:54 PM *** Ander doesn't see how that's relevant. *** 9:36:58 PM Ander: (( :P )) 9:37:17 PM Rook: Solah: Anyway, I don't wear my armor to dinner. 9:37:38 PM Ander: "That's fair. I'd bet it chaffes after a while." 9:37:38 PM Rook: Solah: You're not from Verendra, are you? 9:37:49 PM Ander: "What gave me away?" 9:38:02 PM Rook: Solah: General cluelessness. 9:38:18 PM Kite: ... I am neither big nor blonde nor have heavy armor, and I share his occupation. 9:38:40 PM *** Vydea looks up from her book. "I just mean that's the 'typical' look for the tales." *** 9:38:55 PM Vydea: Reality's much more diverse than what usually gets out there. 9:39:15 PM Ander: "Ain't that the truth." 9:39:33 PM Ander: "And no, I'm not from Verendra. I grew up near the Jeweled Cities." 9:41:30 PM Rook: Solah: Anyway, yeah, I'm a knight. Got a hammer, got armor. 9:42:03 PM Ander: "A hammer's a good weapon. Something you can really put your weight behind. Is it stone or iron?" 9:42:51 PM Rook: Solah: Glass. It was my mom's. Enchanted and everything. 9:43:24 PM Kite: Swordie is glass as well. 9:44:02 PM Ander: "What's the hammer's name?" 9:44:21 PM Daneel: ...And we are back to this 9:44:45 PM Rook: Solah: It doesn't have one? 9:44:54 PM Rook: Solah: I guess I could call it Smashy. 9:46:16 PM Kite: I approve. 9:46:28 PM Ander: "How could you not have given it a name? If it was your mom's shouldn't it have some ancestral name?" 9:47:43 PM Rook: Solah: It might have had a name. I don't think she asked the guy she took it from. 9:48:00 PM Ander: "Did she not give it a name?" 9:48:46 PM Daneel: I think maybe... just maybe naming weapons is not as common as you think it is. 9:49:19 PM Ander: "...you have no idea how disappointing a proposition that is for me to take." 9:49:36 PM *** Ander grips her sword. "Well, at least me and Skara will uphold the tradition." *** 9:50:01 PM Kite: I do have Swordie. 9:50:26 PM *** Ander holds a hand up to brofist Kite. *** 9:51:34 PM Daneel: Only because of the conversation we had earlier though. 9:51:59 PM Daneel: It hadn’t even occurred to you to name a weapon till then. 9:53:08 PM *** Kite does the brofist thing. *** 9:53:12 PM Kite: No. But I do like the idea. 9:53:57 PM Ander: "We will bring it back. Weapons deserve epic names and stories." 9:54:40 PM Vydea: If the weapon is part of an epic tale, it'll get a name. Killing a couple undead hands hardly counts. 9:55:15 PM Ander: "It also helped fight off a wizard." 9:55:19 PM Ander: "...sort of." 9:55:54 PM Ander: "...we need better gigs." 9:55:59 PM Vydea: The Key was a named weapon. 9:56:22 PM Rook: Hakan: The key? 9:56:43 PM Kite: A dangerous artifact. 9:57:30 PM Ander: "Not even sure that counts. That thing was from Misrule." 9:57:49 PM Vydea: It has a backstory. 9:58:35 PM Rook: Hakan: Huh. 9:59:18 PM Rook: Hakan: Misrulian? 10:01:31 PM *** Ander eyes Hakan suspiciously. *** 10:01:43 PM Kite: A dangerous artifact. 10:02:15 PM Rook: Hakan is looking at the ceiling, seemingly thinking. "The Key of Opening?" 10:02:38 PM Rook: Hakan: That's the only Misrulian Key I can think of. 10:02:50 PM Vydea: How have you heard of it? 10:03:03 PM Ander: "What have you heard of it?" 10:03:07 PM Vydea: (jfc that's a 6. nat 1.) 10:09:05 PM Kite: I would imagine: that it is bad. 10:10:00 PM Rook: Hakan thinks. "I read about it, of course. I read an account of the spot it was dug up. The ruins of some old city. Galassia? I think it was Galassia. It was dug up with a few other artifacts. The dig site and camp was attacked by bandits. One of the bandits got his hand on the Key, and used it to become a demon. 10:10:41 PM Ander: "The Three-Faced Liar, or something like that?" 10:11:12 PM Rook: Hakan: I don't know what kind of demon he became. Just that he became one and just... vanished. 10:13:21 PM Rook: Hakan: Then the camp defenders were able to drive the bandits off. The demon left the Key behind, and it was boxed up again. 10:13:57 PM Vydea: How do you know so much about it? 10:14:19 PM Vydea: Like, you read about it, but where did anyone write it down? 10:14:35 PM Vydea: I'd love to find that book. 10:18:25 PM Rook: Hakan: I read an account. Misrulian artifacts are dug up by a concerted effort by the citizens of Misrule. Archaeological digs. They're documented, like any dig. 10:18:59 PM Rook: Hakan: My interest is in demons, specifically, so when I heard rumors of a bandit becoming one I had to find the source. 10:19:26 PM Kite: Demons? 10:19:28 PM Rook: Hakan: This was.... five years ago. The whole key demon thing. 10:21:02 PM Kite: You are a demonologist? It is an extremely interesting field. 10:21:37 PM Ander: "...where are these journals kept?" 10:21:54 PM Rook: Hakan: yeah? There are still Yugoloth holdouts from the invasion, even after all this time. Quite a few in the Underdark. 10:23:29 PM Rook: Hakan: The libraries in Misrule, mostly. 10:28:17 PM Rook: Hakan: The Grand College of Sheor is where you want to go if you want to learn about Misrulian artifacts. 10:29:02 PM Ander: And that is actually in Misrule? 10:29:32 PM Kite: ... you sound suspicious. You doubt Misrule has libraries? 10:30:23 PM Ander: "No, I just want clarification of where to go." 10:30:45 PM Rook: Hakan: It's not all a wasteland. 10:31:14 PM Ander: ((Who were you insighting there?)) 10:31:45 PM Kite: ((Mwhahaha.)) 10:32:10 PM Rook: Hakan: Just... mostly. 10:34:53 PM Ander: "...gonna guess the answer is no, but do these books have a lot of pictures? ...maybe fewer word books, more picture books?" 10:35:33 PM Rook: Hakan: There's.... a few pictures? Drawings and maps. 10:35:48 PM Kite: We could always interpret. 10:36:34 PM Ander: "...that'd be helpful." 10:38:03 PM Daneel: Let’s finish this trip before we start even thinking of going all the way to misrule. 10:38:18 PM Rook: Dinner is brought! Halfing waiters and waitresses start putting food on tables. 10:38:27 PM Ander: "Oh, fancy." 10:38:48 PM Rook: Solah looks at Vydea. "What're you writing, anyway?" 10:40:27 PM *** Vydea shrugs. "Notes, ideas, snippets. Planning a book I'm going to write." *** 10:43:14 PM Ander: "So, you've dealt with the Dusk Lily before. Anything we should know going in?" 10:43:27 PM *** Ander was talking to Solah. *** 10:46:31 PM Rook: ((Sorry, there was pizza I had to get.)) 10:46:41 PM Rook: Solah: They use a lot of magickers. 10:46:51 PM *** Ander groans. *** 10:47:02 PM *** Vydea stifles another laugh. *** 10:47:26 PM *** Ander gives Vydea a look. *** 10:47:30 PM Rook: Solah: Where exactly are you going? 10:48:04 PM Ander: "Berend." 10:48:20 PM Ander: "You ever been?" 10:51:26 PM Rook: Solah: Oh, sure. Not much there, but I have at least three cousins there. 10:51:57 PM Ander: "...you were not kidding about the big family thing, were you?" 10:52:44 PM Rook: Solah: Well... halflings. I don't know how it is down south, but I imagine you have a pretty big family too? 10:53:02 PM Ander: "...in a sense, yes." 10:53:33 PM Kite: ... I am an only child. 10:54:23 PM Ander: "That sucks." 10:54:34 PM Kite: It does? 10:55:23 PM Rook: Solah: I find myself envious. 10:56:01 PM Ander: "I dunno. It would've been pretty boring all day without my brothers." 10:56:03 PM Kite: It is extremely simple. 10:56:21 PM Kite: I was at the Temple; I had many sibling-like friends. 10:58:34 PM Ander: "That's good too, I guess." 11:00:17 PM Kite: Yes. 11:01:34 PM Ander: "Your mom was a Hedge Knight as well?" 11:03:56 PM Kite: ((I assume Ander's asking Solah.)) 11:04:17 PM Ander: ((I was)) 11:05:15 PM Rook: Solah nods. "Yeah. The posting isn't hereditary, but a lot of Knights follow parents or older siblings into the tradition." 11:07:16 PM *** Ander nods. "My brother was gonna follow my dad into his profession. You and your mom get along then, at least?" *** 11:08:29 PM Rook: Solah: Oh, sure. She's great. 11:09:54 PM Rook: Solah: Looking forward to seeing her again, to be honest. 11:10:10 PM Ander: "So, that's good. This trip's not all bad then." 11:13:23 PM Ander: ((What is the food, out of curiosity?)) 11:14:10 PM Rook: Chicken and fish, and lots of vegetables and baked goods. 11:14:42 PM *** Kite eats a lot. *** 11:15:54 PM *** Ander is devouring the chicken & baked goods in a decidedly uncouth fashion. *** 11:18:22 PM Ander: "So, if you're seeing your family in Verendra, what do you do in Song's Heart?" 11:22:30 PM Ander: ((Again, asking Solah)) 11:23:31 PM Rook: Solah: I was part of an exchange type thing. the Empress sends some of the Royal Guard to Verendra, and Verendra sends some Hedge Knights to Song's Heart. 11:24:14 PM *** Ander nods *** 11:26:02 PM Vydea: Learning experience? 11:26:40 PM Rook: Solah: You can only take so much of rolling green fields before you get bored. 11:27:00 PM Kite: ((LIES.)) 11:29:50 PM Ander: "Mountains are fun though. Also woods. Pretty much always cold down south, though." 11:31:02 PM Ander: "You grow up in the Underdark, Hakan? That sounds...interesting." 11:31:21 PM Kite: Dangerous. 11:32:28 PM Rook: Hakan: Both of those, really. 11:33:18 PM Rook: Hakan looks around at the table, picking at his fish. "So, have any interesting adventures yet? Vashti mentioned that there were some rat transformations." 11:34:13 PM Ander: "That one's not as cool as it sounds. We basically got hired to deal with a paranoid wizard's faulty stock." 11:34:14 PM Kite: Nearly everyone has been a rat. 11:34:26 PM Kite: I got a cat out of it. 11:35:40 PM Ander: "It's a blink cat." 11:35:58 PM Rook: Hakan: I didn't know there was such a thing? 11:36:04 PM Rook: Gimme perception checks. 11:36:39 PM Kite: Murr is a good cat. 11:36:44 PM Ander: ((4)) 11:37:25 PM Vashti: 7. 11:38:31 PM Daneel: (( 10)) 11:38:43 PM Ander: ((WAIT)) 11:38:49 PM Ander: ((I have advantage, right?)) 11:38:59 PM Ander: ((From my awesome family joke?)) 11:39:03 PM Rook: If you wanna use it on this, sure! 11:39:16 PM Ander: ((15)) 11:41:32 PM Kite: ((6. I SEE NOTHINK.)) 11:43:41 PM Vydea: (On my phone butt 16!) 11:45:23 PM Rook: You notice, across the dining car, which is pretty big, there's a Halfling fella who keeps looking over at your table with an unreadable expression. You can't tell who if anyone's he's looking at in particular. 11:46:09 PM Ander: ((Vy and I notice this?)) 11:46:32 PM *** Vydea will just keep am eye on him while she writes *** 11:46:33 PM Rook: YEs. 11:46:55 PM Rook: sorry, that was meant to be to Ander, but I'm slightly distracted by pizza. 11:47:35 PM Ander: "...not this again." 11:48:42 PM Vashti: Not what again? 11:49:16 PM | Edited 11:49:33 PM Ander: "Don't be too obvious about looking, but someone's watching us." 11:49:36 PM *** Ander nods her head in the guy's direction. *** 11:49:50 PM Vydea: Maybe you're just a popular girl. 11:50:04 PM *** Ander blushes. *** 11:50:09 PM Kite: You are reasonably pretty. 11:50:17 PM Kite: It happens. 11:50:31 PM Ander: "Don't help me, Kite." 11:51:12 PM Vashti: Of course. Darn it, now I'm going to be actively trying not to look at that area. If I'm too obvious about it, it'll look weird and might tip them off. 11:51:34 PM Kite: ... all right. 11:51:43 PM Ander: "I am gonna go out on a limb and guess he's not a friend of yours, Solah." 11:56:13 PM Ander: "...you know what, screw it. I know what to do here." 11:56:22 PM *** Ander gets up and walks over to the halfling. *** 11:56:28 PM Ander: "Need something?" 11:58:28 PM Vydea: No subtlety at all, that one. 11:58:50 PM *** Vashti facepalms *** 11:59:01 PM Rook: He's quite a ways away. 11:59:06 PM Kite: Often it seems unnecessary. 11:59:18 PM *** Ander just starts to walk over, then. *** 11:59:20 PM Rook: Like... not a few tables away, he's on the other side of the dining car. 11:59:33 PM *** Ander will walk it. *** 12:00:34 AM Ander: ((Does he do anything as I approach?)) 12:04:39 AM Rook: His attention stays on the table, rather than you as you approach, Ander. 12:04:51 AM Rook: Not every guy has the hots for Ander. 12:05:22 AM Ander: ((Good to know. Ander keeps moving forward.)) 12:08:16 AM Rook: He does glance at you as it becomes clear you're approaching him. He's a solidly built Halfling with one eye! He's at a table with three others. 12:09:17 AM *** Ander will go forward undaunted. "Something catch your eye?" *** 12:10:59 AM Rook: He looks up at you. "Got no quarrel with you, lady." 12:11:52 AM Ander: "You seem very focused on my friends." 12:12:50 AM Ander: "And if you've got a quarrel with one of them, congrats. You got one with me." 12:17:41 AM Ander: "...so...like...what is your deal, man?" 12:22:26 AM Rook: The Halfling looks at you, then points at Solah. "That guy put my brother in prison." 12:22:44 AM Ander: "...I see." 12:23:03 AM Ander: "...that sucks." 12:25:52 AM Ander: "...ok then, enjoy your food." 12:25:55 AM *** Ander walks away. *** 12:26:04 AM *** Ander goes back to the table. *** 12:26:18 AM | Removed 12:26:31 AM Ander: This message has been removed. 12:26:30 AM Rook: He grunts, and they go back to glaring vaguely at Solah. 12:26:43 AM Ander: "That may have been a mistake." 12:27:04 AM Vydea: What? Nothing ever goes wrong from just walking up and demanding to know what people's problems are. 12:27:46 AM Ander: "So, Solah, apparently you and that dude's brother had a beef a while back." 12:27:55 AM Ander: "And you put him in jail?" 12:28:18 AM Rook: Solah: ... unsurprising. I put a bunch of people in jail, and most of them are halflings. 12:28:41 AM Rook: Solah: and since they're halflings, they have a thousand brothers and sisters looking for a shot. 12:29:05 AM Ander: "Well, this dude did not take it well, I gathered." 12:30:49 AM Ander: "So...look out for the inevitable revenge he is probably planning...I guess." 12:35:59 AM Ander: "...in hindsight I should've asked for some details, maybe. Then again, maybe not. I am realizing I am very bad at this." 12:36:14 AM Rook: Solah: ... at what? 12:36:25 AM Vydea: Subtlety? 12:36:41 AM Daneel: Tact? 12:36:47 AM Ander: Yeah that. Those things." 12:42:55 AM Daneel: You seem to like just confronting any issue though? Why start using caution now? 12:43:27 AM Ander: "I feel like confronting every issue is getting me more mixed results than it used to." 12:45:01 AM Ander: "...good meeting you Solah, Hakan. I think I will go back to the cabin now." 12:45:52 AM *** Ander gets up to leave ***